First Galactic Civil War
- This article is about the bygone civil war that sundered the Galactic Republic. For the ongoing conflict, see Second Galactic Civil War.
| First Galactic Civil War | |
| Date | Year -25 — Year -22 |
| Location | The Galaxy |
| Result | · Old Republic dissolved · Empire formed in Republic territories · Drayson becomes emperor · Separatists defeated |
| Belligerents | |
| Republic / Empire: Galactic Republic Galactic Empire | Separatist Forces: Trade Federation Corporate Authority Commerce Guild Confederacy of Independent Systems Black Sun |
| Commanders and Leaders | |
| Endis Valorum Hiram Drayson | Unknown |
| Casualties and Losses | |
| Billions | Billions |
The First Galactic Civil War, or Clone Wars, was the conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists forces who wished to secede from the Republic. After a costly war, the Separatists were eventually defeated as the Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire.
A Republic in Decay
Tensions had been growing in the galaxy for decades. The Core Worlds had been enjoying peace and prosperity while countless systems in the Outer Rim were plagued by widespread corruption, instability, poverty. Criminal activity and petty conflicts disrupted vital trade routes and laws enforced closer to the galactic core were not enforced in the outlying sectors, leading to a what many saw as a double standard within the Republic. Furthermore, The Republic bureaucracy was growing bloated and ineffective, and was either unwilling or unable to settle these disputes. Sith agents, seeing an opportunity to seize power, approached the leadership of the Trade Federation in Year -35 and used subtle force persuasion to convince the viceroy that an attack on the planet Averam would get the attention of the senate back on Coruscant and force them to take Outer Rim matters more seriously. Federation battleships soon encircled Averam and enforced a blockade while legions of fearsome battle droids took control of the major urban centers and planetary shield and communication systems.
News of the Trade Federation's actions soon found its way to the senate. Contradictory reports and a myriad of questions though the senate into confusion and disarray. Outraged that such an crisis could happen under the Republic's watch, Avram senator Drayson demanded the resignation of Supreme Chancellor Endis Valorum, who had signed and enforced the trade policies which had provoked the Federation's attack. After Valorum refused to step down, the senate called for a vote of no confidence in the Supreme Chancellor. The vote passed by an overwhelming majority and Chancellor Valorum was removed from office. The senate then took up the question of Valorum's successor. Senator Drayson was nominated, along with Alderaan's Zee Wolf and Mon Calamari's Mon Akria. The crisis on Averam and Drayson's own charm and influence handed him a clear victory. In his speech to the senate, newly minted Supreme Chancellor Drayson pledged to bring stability back to the Republic and free it from corruption, thus preventing future tragedies like the one playing out on his homeworld. Chancellor Drayson soon rallied the military might of the Kuat and Rendilli systems and swiftly liberated Averam, though little was done to further punish the Trade Federation's leadership for their actions.
Unbeknownst to the senate, while Chancellor Drayson was a talented and cunning politician, he had long been a puppet of the Dark side of the Force. Drayson's closest mentors and advisers, Vodo Bonias and Suntzu, were the very same Sith agents who had manipulated the Trade Federation to attack Averam and provoke the ensuing crisis that resulted in Drayson's election. In the years following the Averam crisis, Drayson strengthened his power as chancellor and increased his own influence across the galaxy by partnering with the same corrupt officials and lobbyists he had vowed to vanquish. He appointed close friends and allies to important positions within the Republic and increased the prosperity of the Core worlds, further purchasing their loyalty.
War Erupts
Under Chancellor Drayson's leadership, quality of life for many in the Mid and Outer Rim territories continued to spiral as the Republic consistently failed to address the needs of the galaxy outside the Core Worlds and Colonies. Once again under the influence of the Sith, the Trade Federation called together major economic powers in the galaxy to secede from the Republic and form a new, independent government. The Trade Federation, along with the Commerce Guild, the Corporate Alliance, and the Black Sun to formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems and they began to recruit systems and sectors that had felt neglected and exploited by the Galactic Republic. Many answered their call, and the capital of this new government was established in the Glythe sector, symbolically situated just outside the Core regions.
While the senate was embroiled in debate about how to address the shocking turn of events, the Jedi Council dispatched Jedi Master Bodo Baas to investigate rumors of suspicious traffic and industrial activity outside of any previously charted system. In the course of his investigation, Master Baas stumbled the ocean world Kamino, where a massive army of clones was being grown and trained in secrecy on behalf of the Galactic Republic. The Kaminoan scientists claimed a representative of the Jedi Council had commissioned the army under orders of the Senate, but Baas was unable to find records of any debate let alone vote to order such an army's creation. Likewise, the Jedi Council had no memory of being asked by the Senate to contact the Kaminoans or sending anyone to that region of space. Even using the Kaminoans records, the Jedi and Republic were unable to discover who had funded the creation of the army and all of its weaponry. With no information to go on, the Jedi Council announced their discovery to the senate, only fueling the fires of conspiracy, outrage, and confusion.
| Primary galactic conflict | ||
| Preceded By: New Sith Wars |
First Galactic Civil War Year -25 — Year -22 |
Succeeded By: Second Galactic Civil War First Imperial Civil War |
| First Galactic Civil War | |
| Belligerents | |
| Pro-Imperial | |
| Anti-Imperial |
Galactic Republic loyalists · Nascent Rebel Alliance · Maharettan · Klysteron · Kanchin |
| Separatist | |
| Neutral | |
| Battles and Conflicts | |
| Republic/Separatist Conflict | |
| Imperial/Rebel Conflict | |
| Concurrent | |